Welcome Week- Success!

What a week this has been. After arriving in Utrecht, I cannot believe how much I have accomplished and discovered. Living here so far has definitely been a challenge and adapting to this new environment has been a shocking experience, yet all the while thrilling and rewarding.

That is to say, anyone who tells you that Dutch is a dying language is a flat out liar. At least in Utrecht and the few places in Holland that I've visited, Dutch is alive and well and it's not uncommon to be approached in restaurants, stores, and the like in Dutch. Students at Utrecht University typically speak Dutch with their friends and colleagues, and all road signs, maps, and advertisements are written in Dutch. This has been incredibly interesting and difficult for someone who’s foreign language experience extends to second semester Spanish her freshman year of college; unfortunately yes, I fulfill the American stereotype. I have found though that Dutch people are very kind and helpful, and have always been willing to help me when I'm lost. And luckily, the general public does speak English.




But! I am surprising myself with how quickly I'm picking up Dutch words and linguistics. For example, this week I accomplished two loads of laundry in a Dutch washer and dryer - only having to look up 6 of the 19 words on freetranslation.com. :)

The university is fairly large, with approximately 50,000 students and to my surprise the campus is very modern looking. Proving to be untrue, I had this "Old Europe" setting in mind when I used to daydream about Utrecht University. There are however large fields separating the high-rises, which makes for a spacious and unique landscape. Inquiring about these vast spaces, I've learned that they simply exist for beauty sake, some even having pear trees and other vegetation. Throughout these fields and buildings, there are also streams and what look like old castle moats; it’s absolutely beautiful! The city centre has a mix of old and new architecture, with brick streets and the most well-know university building in the city centre is the University Hall (Academiegebouw) at the Domplein, described as embodying the heart of academic life.



University Hall

Because the landscape is so vast, it’s difficult to capture the design of the campus and city centre. These photos are from my fist walk in De Uithof (main campus) upon arrival:






The City Centre:








Last week, I also took a small trip with some friends to The Hague, a town on the Netherlands coast. It was only a 30 minute train ride and it was a beautiful, sunny day. That was really fun; we saw the Parliament buildings, the Embassies, and went to Mauritshuis, a traditional Dutch painting museum. And yes, I saw Johannes Vermeer's The Girl with the Pearl Earring (1665). ! They also had countless showcases from the Dutch Golden Age, including Rembrandt, Potter, and Coorte.










I also had the opportunity to attend a futbol game (my first!) and I had a great time. The Dutch crowds are crazy; I tried to learn their songs and chants but the only one I was any good at was something like "oolay oolay oolay...oolay oolay oolay" ?







There's so much more I want to share with you; for now I'll leave it at this and promise to write soon. Through it all, I'm doing very well. I miss everyone back home a lot, but as I make more friends and settle into my new apartment (see next post), life is becoming more regular and each day I feel more comfortable and excited about my time here. Last night, I went out for a drink with one of my flat mates and some friends to a little underground pub in the centre- only to find that a Dutch, Prince cover-band was playing (let me not neglect to state that the saxophone player was wearing a RUN DMC t-shirt, which no one else thought was funny) for open mic night and now I am certain that Utrecht will treat me well.